Does anybody have any experience with this lens in general photography. It came originally from a repro-camera Polaroid MP 4. I'd like to know more about it

-- Andrea Milano (milandro@multiweb.nl), October 19, 1998

Answers

Well don't ask polaroid. i recently asked them about the 114mm Tominon in the polaroid 180, and their answer was in effect "We don't know, that product (the 180) has been long discontinued Why not contact Tominon directly in Japan?" Since your lens came from a repro camera my suspicion is that it is a flat-field process lens, optimized for close up work. It will probably be okay for general studio or still life photography but may not have a very large image circle when used at distances approaching infinity, so movements might be limited perhaps even-non existant for use on a 4x5 in field applications. It might make a really nice "head and shoulders" portrait lens.

Have you used it yet? Are there any intereting characteristics you would like to share?

-- Ellis (evphoto@insync.net), October 19, 1998.

Pardon my spelling: that should be "interesting characteristics." not "intereting."

-- Ellis (evphoto@insync.net), October 19, 1998.

I would be interested in the characteristics also. I know where there is 75mm Polaroid flat field lens, and I am wondering what kind of circle of illumination it throws. The owner of the camera shop said that it came from a very large repro-camera. From what I've read there is nothing wrong with using a flat-field lens for pictorial work, but I don't know how to judge the size of the circle looking at a lens in a camera shop.

-- David Clark (doc@ellensburg.com), October 19, 1998.

You can get some idea of the field of a lens in a camera shop by holding a sheet of paper in one hand, the lens in the other, casting an image on the paper. Use the shop window as the "subject". You should easily see the light fall-off at the edge of the image circle, and may also see a fall in definition. If the lens only covers, say 2.25" square, you will easily see that it doesn't cover 5x4. I suspect that a 75mm lens won't do 5x4.

A flat field lens can indeed be used for general work, the "flat field" just means that a flat object will make a flat image. However, it may be optimised for close-up work, in which case it would make a good enlarger lens.

Regarding Andrea's original question: do you know the format of the MP 4? The lens is unlikely to cover a larger film, because repro cameras don't usually have movements.

-- Alan Gibson (gibson.al@mail.dec.com), October 20, 1998.

Thank you all for your kind answers! Well, the MP4 is a 4"x5" reprocamera vertically mounted on a column, it can be used as an enlarger and it is very popular among scientific and museal photographers. I've worked with one and it normally comes with an array of lenses(all tominons), the short focal lenses are for real micro-work that is obvious since you want maximum magnification with minimum flange distance. I've used the lens and it covers sufficiently the format to allow movements not at all smaller than any other lens of similar focal length. The only appreciable "problem" is a very limited depth of field which in conjunction with low level of light brought me to have some focusing problems! I hope to have answered some of the questions which arose. Andrea

-- Andrea Milano (milandro@multiweb.nl), October 21, 1998.